Cross Stitch Cafe 2012

tricksie

tellmeitsfriday wrote: »

How are you doing these days Tricksie?

I'm well thank you. Haven't got to see the surgeon again until December and the Oncologist next June, so really good news. Still get tired very easily but apparently it can take two years to feel fully fit again.

Changed my job (again) and am now working at the local hospital so don't really get time to post much although try and read what everyone's up to on my phone every day!

Still managing to stitch or knit most evenings but have quite a few projects on the go at the moment so nothing finished

I am definitely up for a stitchy weekend next year and am happy to travel. It would be great to finally meet everyone!

chickywiggle

MSE cafe facebook page now has some links to the professionals (http://www.facebook.com/crossstitchcafe). Am sure others will have ones i've missed - please add them.

Tricksie - glad you're on the mend.

must get cracking - bbs.

Flat_Eric

23rdspiral wrote: »

There's quite an outcry about the quality of the kit, and rightly so in my opinion. Yes it's called free, but it is paid for in the overall cost. Some people are horribly saying its not the end of the world, use your stash ect. Sorry but we pay for it, and some people don't have stashes, and why should they pay twice?!? And it's not as if this is the first time!

I'm cancelling my sub, I don't want this disappointment anymore, don't like being ignored, and soon the Xmas charts will be back anyway!!

Emily Peacock seems bewildered at the outcry... But it's a kit in her name. I'd want reassurance her big kits are decent quality now too before buying one.

I've been on to the Emily Peacock website and looked at her kits and OUCH, they are expensive. I won't be buying one anytime soon.... (may be when I open my sealed pot in december but not before! although I am tempted to order a complete set of dmc threads with the pot money :j) I'm also not sure I like the idea of stitching with wool instead of cross stitch thread?

I've also looked at Emily Peacock's facebook page and seen all the comments about the free kit. I'm kind of on the fence with this one as I can see it from both sides. Yes the cost of the kit is no doubt factored into the price of the magazine although Cross Stitch Collection is the same price or more ? (more I think) and there is never any free kit although the designs in this mag are more indepth/involved - are for the more experienced stitcher so I'm guessing the lack of the free kit/the cost of the magazine with Cross Stitch Collection is such that it factors in how much it costs to pay the designers.

As I am a subscriber, I don't actually know how much cross stitcher costs to buy in the shops but its got to be close to four pounds or more and I know for xmas editions, its stretched to almost a fiver. (if my memory serves me correct). Thats a lot of money for a magazine and a lot of money for people to find every month.

I don't think Cross Stitcher or indeed World of Cross Stitching/Cross Stitch Crazy/Cross Stitch Card shop would have the same appeal if there wasn't a free kit and certainly I much prefer the free gifts when its a cross stitch kit compared to a huge chart booklet/free chart book. Even if its not something that appeals, its useful to have the aida/threads/needles/card mount (particularly with cross stitch card shop where its usually a plain card mount). I don't think I would want to be paying any more for my subscriptions than I do at the moment just to get a higher quality of kit but at the same time I don't exactly like receiving naff kits which I am afraid have been the norm with cross stitcher recently.

My first Cross Stitcher I bought had I think Peter Rabbit on the front cover and came with a free kitten kit. The kitten was a mixture of browns and reds and was stood up touching some flowers. I also remember a butterfly kit that I stitched. It was a border of butterflies and inside the border, you stitched an initial. I stitched this for someone who stuck it in a drawer until they realised i had made it :T There were lots of lovely free kits many moons back and the new kits just don't compare anymore. I'm guessing they have been outsourced to overseas? I do feel the quality of what is supplied has gone down but to be fair, this is a mistake in the aida size on this occasion rather than the squashed eyes I had recently or the wonky aida I had in another kit although I haven't actually tried using any of the kit yet so I guess I should reserve judgment.:rotfl:

I'm passionate about my cross stitch habit and all my stash to the point where I suppose you could say I am quite obsessed about it. Lets just say I put off my eye test (and new glasses) for a year because I would rather buy cross stitch. likewise with having my hair cut. Much rather have a cross stitch kit or more stash. And when I go out for a meal, I'm thinking, hmmm - rump steak - yummy but that would buy (whichever kit) I have my eye on at that particular moment.....

I suppose thats why some stitchers have taken it to heart especially those who started the kit before realising the aida was the wrong size and really you can't blame them.

Cross Stitching has played a huge part in keeping my depression at bay so it plays a very important role in my life. Margaret Sherry doesn't cross stitch herself and I don't know whether Emily Peacock does?? Unless you are mad about cross stitch then I don't think you can understand or "get" the bond that a cross stitcher feels about their work/their projects/their magazines etc.

Sure a lot of work goes into producing cross stitcher and i feel sorry that according to Emily Peacock that they are upset about it all and are getting lots of grief about it but where (off topic) were the letters to long term subscribers when they decided to change the format of the magazine. (Back on topic) Why no apology on their facebook page. I realise they are probably working really hard in what are hard times and in a competitive market and I suppose thats why they felt they had to change the format of the magazine in the first place but shoddy kits just aren't doing it for me and it will probably be with a heavy heart that I cancel my subscription once the last set of EP letters is published.

Now I'm off to ebay to see if can find any old cross stitcher kits :T / off to have a rummage in my stash....

Flat_Eric

this is the butterfly kit I was talking about!

*Louise*

Flat_Eric wrote: »

I've seen the post by MSE Cafe on FaceBook re Joan Elliott's posting. Im so shocked :eek:

Ive had a look on ebay and think I've identified the suspect items. The similarity is striking. Its so unfair and wrong :(:(

Do you have a link please? (by pm if you don't want to advertise them) I don't want to buy from them but would like to see what they are up to.

chickywiggle wrote: »

you can subscribe to their 'people' or pages if i get time later I'll try and put some links on the MSE page (i think some may already be on)

well done on all the completions........ i never had a longer "to do" list until I found the original group!

I appreciate the links, thank you - I was searching for the Crosstitcher page yesterdaybut never seem to be able to find the pages I want I have the MSE cafe set to post news on my home page feed but I never seem to see anything (so I forget it's there, sorry):o:o

My To Do list became MASSIVE since I joined the Cafe - I see so many designs I would never have known about otherwise.

*Louise*

Just a quick picture, I started Darth vader on Monday night, it was such an easy stitch, very relaxing. Thank you to mrsmilkybarkid (who needs to post more! x) for pointing me in the direction of the free chart :T



DS1 has claimed this one, so I need to find a frame for it.

Flat_Eric

so back from my rummage and have found both the butterfly kit and the kitten kit that I was talking about. I was wrong the kitten is in fact standing amongst some flowers and is trying to catch a butterfly. The butterfly kit is on tiny aida and I wonder how I managed all those years ago when I was just starting out. I bought these on e bay. Its great for that. I don't know where the original of the kitten kit is - or I even finished it?

I've also found lots of other "little" kits that I want to do so I shall be plenty busy.

I'm going to stitch a keyring for my friend first - using the vareigated thread I bought at the weekend :T

Flat_Eric

Soulie wrote: »

I wish I hadn't have found, and decide to do this :mad: :mad: :mad:
The pic above was how I found I had left it in 2005, So yesterday I figured I would start with the background in the top left, I pretty much got all the light pink squares done (the first top left hand corner symbol).

Then I got about half of the dark pink (red square with black heart symbol) done, before I ran out of thread, luckily I managed to colour match some DMC I had, and I pretty much stitched all of that, apart from some down the right hand side), while doing that I also did the pink with hollow heart (which was a half cross stitch) as it used the same colour.

So tonight, I figure I would finish filling in the bear, only to find out there wasn't half as much needed thread as there should have been, so I was lucky again and managed to colour match TWO further shades, however, there was a third I couldn't match up, so I made do with just using another colour that I had colour matched before on the bear :mad:

NOW, I have realised that I need to do the bottom right hand corner of four light pink colour, and I ran out of that, so when I tried to colour match using an Anchor to DMC convertor, I don't have the exact shade, however, I do have a colour that is ONE number away, so I am gonna go try that one now, and see if you can tell :mad: :mad: :mad:

Its a bit random me quoting such an old post but on the Emily Peacock facebook page - the comment thread about her kit/wrong aida etc, someone has commented to say that she worked at coats crafts and remembers a problem/mistake with a free forever friends kit that caused lots of hassle.... I'm guessing thats why you had problems with the thread soulie.

Flat_Eric

shall I save my sealed pot money for this ???

tellmeitsfriday

Flat_Eric wrote: »

shall I save my sealed pot money for this ???

Ooooo its lovely :-)